


The Other Side

by SharkGirl



Series: SpooOooOOoooOoky (Writober 2016) [28]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Black Cat!Kuroo, Continuation, Cursed!Akaashi, Curses, Day 28 - Haunted Item, Face in the Mirror, M/M, Magic, Mirror Realm, Mirrors, Owls, Sequel, Warlock!Bokuto, Writober 2016, mage!kenma, spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 13:24:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8403307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: Akaashi had grown accustomed to his life.  His punishment.An eternity in the mirror realm.Written for Writober 2016Day 28 - Haunted Item/Possessed By A Spirit





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This is a continuation of [Familiar II](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8302555), but you don't have to read it to understand what's going on here. It just takes place in the same universe.
> 
> This one went long...again... Ya see, I was going to just end it, but then I wanted it to be happy and...well...you'll see. I hope you like the extra 400 or so words I tacked on.
> 
> Un-beta'd~ Please enjoy!!

Akaashi had grown accustomed to his life.  His punishment.

An eternity in the mirror realm.

Of course, Kuroo always said his entrapment was worse.  But Kuroo was a familiar.  He needed a master and, as much as he complained about being stuck by the mage’s side for the foreseeable future, Akaashi knew that, deep down, Kuroo didn’t mind.  In fact, he had an inkling that Kuroo felt a great deal for Kenma the white mage.

Not that he’d bother trying to convince the black cat.  That would be a headache.  To which Kuroo would laugh raucously and reply, ‘To have a headache, don’t you need a head?’

Akaashi may have appeared as a disembodied face, floating in the billowing smoke that darkened the surface of the looking glass, but he was more than that.  He had a body, ethereal and useless as it was.  But it made him feel closer to himself.  Closer to his human self.

Perhaps it was because he imagined it, that it came to be.  Perhaps, and he tried not to think too hard about this, he only appeared visible because he _thought_ he should be.  But others had vanished thinking that way.  One day they were floating through the mist and the next, ‘poof,’ gone from existence, like a flame, extinguished by their own self-doubt.

Heavy thoughts.  Painful thoughts.

Akaashi liked to have other things occupying his mind.  Like when he might next be summoned.

As a permanent resident of the mirror realm, Akaashi had the ability to travel to any mirror he liked.  But he was unable to do so without first knowing the way.  He could be called in an instant, led by the voice that beckoned him.  It appeared like a candle on the water, a beacon of light in the foggy darkness, leading him.

But there was one mirror to which he knew the way by heart.  One mirror to which he’d only been summoned once, but he continued to visit, night after night, day after day.  The one that belonged to a rather eccentric warlock.

Akaashi floated forward, watching the smoke clear as he came up to the pane of aged glass.  There, on the other side, was a most welcome sight.  A messy bedroom with open spell books on every surface.  Clothing – both clean and soiled – littered the floor and hung halfway out of dresser drawers.  There was a tall stand in the corner, a great horned owl atop it, its eyes closed and its feathers puffed out.

In the middle of a large bed, covered with layer upon layer of blankets, was a sizable lump.

Akaashi smiled to himself. 

“Bokuto-san is sleeping late again.”

The flow of time in the mirror realm was odd.  It was never clear if it was day or night or if a minute had passed or an hour.  But, judging by the bright light filtering in through the window and the sleeping nocturnal creature on the stand, it was midday.

As if the lump knew it was being thought about, it moved, a low groan and the satisfying sound of a cracking joints following after.

Akaashi floated back a bit, unsure of when the warlock would appear.  Just as the thought crossed his mind, the blankets were thrown back and a head of wild gray hair with white and black streaks made its grand entrance.  Thick, muscled arms reached up into the air as the man yawned loudly and threw his legs over the edge of the bed.

Bokuto was broad, brawny – surprising for someone who sat around perusing spell books all day.  But Akaashi knew better.  The warlock took good care of his body – unlike a certain white mage he knew – and it showed.

“Good morning!” Bokuto called and Akaashi nearly disappeared, thinking he’d been caught.  But, the other man wasn’t facing him.  He had made his way over to the stand and was petting his owl, stroking its soft feathers with the backs of his fingers. “Though, I guess I should say, ‘good afternoon’.” He threw his head back and barked out a laugh.

The owl opened its eyes and stared for a moment before letting them slip closed, clearly not the least bit amused by its owner's antics.

Bokuto just hummed happily to himself as he turned and began searching through his drawers, bringing the articles of clothing up to his nose and sniffing, checking for cleanliness.

“If you put them away properly, you’d know which ones were clean,” Akaashi muttered under his breath, but his fond smile didn’t fade.

This was when Akaashi felt bad about his ‘spying,’ has Kuroo had put it.  Yet he couldn't look away.  He liked the warlock's broad shoulders and the way his back tapered to a narrow - though still wide – waist.  And Akaashi especially appreciated the curve of the other man’s backside.

He’d only been called to Bokuto’s mirror once, to help with a spell the other was performing, but he’d instantly fallen in love with the warlock’s passion and vivaciousness.  His boisterous laughter was enchanting and Akaashi found himself thinking about the other man while floating between summons.

He had it bad – Kuroo’s words.

But, with all the times he’d returned to Bokuto’s mirror, he’d never let himself be seen.  Clearly, Bokuto had only needed him for the one spell.  He probably didn’t even remember him.  And he certainly wasn't thinking about him.  Not the way Akaashi thought about Bokuto.

Bokuto, who was so animated and alive.  Alive in ways Akaashi wasn’t.  Not anymore.

Bokuto, whose eccentricity was only rivaled by his magical brilliance.

Bokuto, who was imperfectly perfect.  Smart and handsome.  Moody and wonderful.

“You feel that?” Bokuto asked his owl, breaking the silence as he pulled his shirt over his head.  He tugged the collar down over his ears and beamed.  “Feels like someone’s complimenting me!”   

The owl didn’t respond, of course, and Akaashi rolled his eyes.

Just then, in a lightning quick motion, Bokuto spun around to face the mirror, his sharp golden gaze piercing into Akaashi’s very soul.

“Thought I felt eyes on me.” Bokuto’s face relaxed into a friendly smile.

If Akaashi had any blood, it would have run cold.  He’d been caught.

“Um, please excuse me, I-”

“You’re Akaashi, right?” the warlock asked, all smiles and pleasantry.

“You…” He blinked in surprise. “You remember me?”

Bokuto crossed over to him, placing a large hand against the mirror and leaning forward.

“Remember you?” He smirked,. “Like I could forget.”

“But I only helped you that one time.” Akaashi furrowed his brow.

“And I’ve been thinking about you ever since,” Bokuto said and then breathed against the glass, fogging it, before he traced his finger through the condensation, making a symbol Akaashi had never seen before. “But I think I’ve got it figured out this time.” Bokuto finished his drawing and closed his eyes, muttering words in a strange tongue.

Akaashi felt a splitting pain in his head, sharp and hot.  He pulled back and squeezed his eyes shut, gripping at his hair.  What was going on?  It hurt. It hurt so badly.  Then he felt a hand close around his wrist.  The pain had blinded him, so he couldn’t open his eyes.  He just let himself be tugged forward until he was falling, tumbling through the air and coming in contact with something hard and warm. 

He took in a deep breath, his lungs aching like he hadn’t properly breathed in years.

“It worked!” Bokuto crowed, his voice surprisingly close.

Akaashi opened his eyes and saw that the warm thing he’d landed on was Bokuto's chest.  He sat back, straddling the other with his legs – his _human_ legs – and gaped.

“It worked…” Bokuto repeated, reaching up and cupping Akaashi’s cheek with his warm, calloused palm.

Akaashi was on the other side of the mirror.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh ho ho! Bokuto broke the curse! And he's been thinking about Akaashi, too?! I wonder if he knows Akaashi has been ~~spying on~~ watching him, hehe.
> 
> Let me know what you think and hit me up on tumblr [@jubesy](http://jubesy.tumblr.com)!


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